Plateau of the Living Dead
by Brooka
Summary: Set in a post-apocalyptic winter wasteland. It's year 2016 and Spencer is looking for a safe haven with her older Brother, Glen. They fight for each other and keep each other safe. It's hard only having one other person to talk to all the time. Will they find another groups of survivors or will they find that there's nothing but zombies that walk the land?
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

I hear screams.

There are no lights.

No running water.

No government.

The only thing you could count on was the fetid smell of the undead coming to take your life.

It's been this way since before I can remember.

10 years after the breakout.

"Come on Spence, we gotta keep moving. I know it's hard but we have to get back to camp or we'll be looted and killed by the militia!"

"Glen, if you haven't already seen, I've got a broken ankle and I'm struggling at the pace we're going at right now! I can't go any fucking faster!"

"Spencer… I'm sorry. Maybe I should make you a cane or a crutch. That would help, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah it would… I'm sorry for blowing up, Glen. It's just I'm really cold and I can't take this pain anymore…"

"I know Spence… I know."

As Glen wanders over to the willows to gather some branches to braid into a crutch, I close my eyes and lie back onto a small shrub and rub my temples. It's been way too long of a day.

**Flashback to earlier that day.**

"Kids, we have to leave! We're pushing 26 hours in this house and you know the rules!"

"But dad, this is the best house we've seen yet! Everything's solar powered and they even have an xbox! Do you know how long it's been since we've been able to play xbox?! Spencer doesn't even know what an xbox is! Please dad, just one more hour?"

"You and Spencer have 20 minutes. Show her how it's done son. Show her the greatness of Call of Duty and Guitar Hero."

"Glen, you're cheating! Sigh, you're the lamest brother ever."

"Spencer, Spencer, Spencer. You're forgetting I played guitar hero nonstop for 2 years before this crap happened. Learn from the master!"

"This game is stupid. Why not invest in a real guitar? I mea-…."

"SPENCER, GLEN, RUN! NOW! GET OUT OF HERE AS FAST AS YOU CAN! I LOVE YO—"

"Dad!"

"Spencer, let's go!"

"Glen, we can't leave dad!"

"We have to!"

I feel Glen throw me over his shoulder and buckle through the doors of the mansion. He was saving me. He and dad already had this planned without me knowing. I was to always be with one of them and if the other were to get caught up in a dangerous situation the one that was with me would get me as far away as possible.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

I woke up to a throbbing ankle in an ice field next to an out of breath and very red Glen. How far had he carried me?! I've never in my life been where we are at the moment. It's… so cold.

"Spencer… Thank god you're awake… There were so many of them chasing us… I had to hide you under an ice pushup and outrun them. I thought I hurt you real bad when I dropped you in it. Are you okay?"

"My ankle is killing me, but, other than that I'm fine. Where are we? Where's dad?!"

"Spencer, he told me to run, so, I did. He's not coming back… I'm sorry."

This can't be happening…

I need my dad… He's always been there for me. He made all my dreams come true, no matter how silly they were.

I can't do this without him.

- End Flashback

Crunch, snap, click.

"Ouch, fuck!"

Glen sucks at trying to be quiet…

"You okay big brother?"

"Yeah Spence, I'm fine. Did I wake you up? I'm sorry."

"It's fine, Glen. So… What are we going to do now? We can't sit in the freezing cold forever. You're right, we need to keep it moving and we need to find somewhere warm."

"We'll have to build something to stay in overnight. Something off the ground with a semi good view of the surroundings. We can't start a fire. We can't risk anything… Not anymore…"

Glen had made me the nicest looking crutch I've ever seen. Including the ones I seen before the breakout… He had braided willows together and tied leaves into a small bundle so the sticks wouldn't poke my armpit. He can be a really great brother… Scratch that, he's always a great guy to me. I don't know what I'd do without him.

"Spence, you think you can walk with it?"

"Can't hurt to try."

I'm getting up. I can do this.

"Whoa! Spence! Takin' it like a champ ain't ya?"

He doesn't know that, inside I'm dying. I need to find some white willow bark or some ginger root if I'm lucky. I can't take this pain much longer.

"I think I can do this, Glen. All thanks to your gorgeous crutch."

I'm so thankful for him. I'd of been dead years ago if it wasn't for my father and him. Mostly him though. Since the outbreak, he'd been by my side no matter what.

"Here Spencer, lemme help you over this fucking huge snow drift."

At least it's not a billion degrees outside. I don't mind it being an obstacle course if it's cold outside. I've never been a fan of the hot weather.

**Flashback to before the outbreak**

"Arthur, we can't just up and move to Canada! Spencer just started school! She made her first friend today."

"Well, I'm sorry. Paula, it'll be good for the kids. They'll see stuff they've never seen before… Like snow and polar bears and stuff…"

"That's what zoos are for. Have you even considered what I have to lose if we went through with this move?"

"You don't have to move with us, Paula… I've been thinking and maybe this will be a good thing for us if maybe you weren't to come with us… I think we need some time apart."

"…Arthur, you can't just take the kids away from me. You go if you need space, just please let the kids stay..."

"Mom, I want to see the polar bears!"

"Me too, mommy!"

**End Flashback**

"Spence, do you want to stay in this?"

Glen's pointing to something, snap out of it Spencer.

"Uh, stay in what?"

"This tree. I have a small tarp in my bag and some rope. We can make a hammock up high so we can see what our surroundings are."

"How am I supposed to climb a tree with a broken ankle?"

"Well... Uhm, we can maybe…. Oh, you can sit in the hammock after I get everything together and can pull you up and tie it down here! Genius!"

"Alright, that's a solid idea. I'm going to walk around a bit and look for some things for us to eat, okay? I promise not to go far and you know the sign, I'll hoot like an owl if I see anything suspicious or if I see walkers. I love you, Glen."

"Be careful, sis. I'll be listening. Don't go too far. I love you too, Spencer.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Winter berries, wild tea, a bag of thawing snow, and a squirrel I took down with Glen's crutch and a hearty serving of sweet leaves to take the swelling down. Yum.

Now for the walk back up the hill to our "camp". Awesome.

I really wish I could have found something more to take this dull pain away.

Like morphine.

Just kidding. Drugs are bad. Mnkay?

"Hey Glen, I'm having a little bit of trouble getting up the hill with the crutch and the food... Can you lend me a hand?"

Glen grabbed the bag full of food and placed it next to the bundle of twigs he arranged into a tepee.

"Are we going to risk the fire, Glen?"

"We have to…. We need to cook that squirrel you've got up for us and I wouldn't mind having a tiny bit of warmth on my hands right now."

"I have an idea to keep the smoke from attracting walkers and other people… Hand me those sticks."

I saw an older native lady do this at a camp we stayed at ages ago with my dad.

She dug a hole deep into the snow, like 3 feet. She put the wood and kindling under a roof of snow. That way the snow absorbed most of the smoke. The only down fall is that it only lasts for about 20 minutes before the snow melts and puts the fire out…

"Glen, do you have anything to light the fire with?"

"Yeah hold on it's in my pack."

Dad gave Glen an old switch blade with a fire stone on the handle for his 17th birthday. It was given to Dad on his 17th and his dad on his 17th. It's a family heirloom and Glen's prized possession.

_Chhh chh chhh._

Works like a charm too. Never fails to bring us one of earth's greatest elements.

"Thanks, brother."

"No problem. Do you want me to boil the water?"

"That sounds great, thanks Glen."

Tea with berries… Just like dad woulda made us…

_CAW CAW CAW CAW_.

"Glen…. There's something over the ridge…"

"Get in the tarp, now!"

"No Glen… They'll take you!"

"Spence, I love you. I promise you I'll be okay. Get. In. The. Tarp."

I can hear glen cave the roof in over the fire and I can feel him chuck his pack and the food into the tarp with me.

He pulled me up off the ground and reached into his back pocket, grabbing his switch blade.

"Take care of yourself, little sister. If I'm not back by tomorrow this time you have to leave. You go find shelter and food. You know the rules. 24 hours in one place. Move every chance you get. Keep quiet and don't group with someone you have second thoughts about… Take my knife, Spence. I love you."

And with that, I felt him tug the rope pull after pull getting me as high off the ground as he possibly could. He tied it and I heard him taunt whoever was over that ridge towards him and away from me.

I love my big brother, Glen. Whoever or whatever that is chasing him… Will get their fair share of my fist to their face and my hands around their neck. I will personally escort them to hell.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

Where's my head at.

Where's your head at, Spencer Carlin.

Snap out of it.

You cannot stay in this grungy tarp forever. It smells of squirrel guts and sweet leaves.

It's simple, Spencer. Take the knife and cut the tarp.

Glen's knife… Take it, open it, cut it, you're free.

_Cruuuuuuuunnnchhhhh._

"Ouuu! Sweet jesus!"

Stupid! Spencer you idiot! 20 feet in the air and you cut yourself from the tree! Fuck! My arm is bleeding now… Great! How do you suppose you're going to explain this to dad, huh?

Dad's gone… Glen's probably gone. You're alone, Spencer. You're alone.

Step up to the plate. Be a leader.

Get your shit and leave.

Food, check. Backpack, check. Crutch, check. Ripped tarp and rope, check. Glen's knife, check…

Footprints… They're everywhere. They're headed to the south.

Looks like you're going south.

South of nowhere.

Not like I have anything to lose.

**Flashforward**

"Carlin… I smell something in your blood… You've been lying to me haven't you? I feel the presence of some white magic and it sure as hell isn't coming from my men…"

"I swear to god, I'm not magic! I didn't even believe in this stuff before the outbreaks!"

"Please… Stop the games and tell me the truth!"

"My name is Glen Carlin and I am not a freak!"

His words echoed through the entire camp as his hands dropped to his sides and turned to crystal, instantly flexing revealing his immense muscle mass within it.

He raised his hand and pointed it towards the fowl demon and stood in front of him growing two feet in the blink of an eye.

"I am a Carlin and I feed on dark souls. Prepare to meet your maker, old man."

**End Flashforward**

"Glen?"

"Glen! Is that you?!"

It feels like I've been walking for days when in reality I've only walked about 3 miles from where camp was.

I followed a blood trail in the snow hoping, wishing it wasn't his.

I found him in a snow bank, shivering.

"Spencer… I told you not to follow me…."

He's so weak… I've never seen him like this. This breaks my heart!

"Big brother, you know I'll always follow you… That's why you're here… That's what little sisters do…"

I'm wetting the sweet leaves in the snow and placing them along his facial bruises and scrapes. He needs them more than I do…

"They might come back for me Spencer… We need to find a way to get out of here alive."

"You take the crutch. I'm feeling better now."

Lie. My ankle is in constant pain and my arm is even worse. He doesn't need to know that though.

"Sis, if you want us to make it out of here, we have to leave now and cover as much ground as possible. Can you help me up?"

We look so pitiful. If a hoard were to appear right now, we'd be fucked.

"Here's your knife back, Glen. I'm sure you missed it."

I tucked it in his belt and he smiled.

"Let's make like a tree and leave. I'll suck this up in no time."

He's always been a show off.

That's my big brother, Glen.


End file.
